1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can appropriately jet a solvent for image formation onto an image recording material such as a photosensitive material, an image-receiving material, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus is known which carries out image recording processing using two types of image recording materials, for example, a photosensitive material and an image-receiving material.
Within an image forming apparatus of this type, an image-forming solvent application section for image formation and a thermal development transfer section are disposed. The image-forming solvent application section has a vat storing therein an image-formation solvent to be applied onto a photosensitive material. The thermal development transfer section is comprised of an endless pressure belt which presses against a heating drum and a periphery of this heating drum, and which rotates together with the heating drum.
The photosensitive material, in which an image is developed while the photosensitive material is conveyed in an interposed state within the image forming apparatus, is immersed in the vat in which water as the image-formation solvent is stored in the image-forming solvent application section. After water is applied to the photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is sent into the thermal development transfer section. The image-receiving material is sent into the thermal development transfer section in the same way as the photosensitive material.
In the thermal development transfer section, the photosensitive material that has been subjected to water application and the image-receiving material are layered together, and in this state, are wound onto the outer periphery of the heating drum. Further, both materials are conveyed in an interposed state between the heating drum and the endless pressure belt. As the photosensitive material is thermally developed, the image is transferred to the image-receiving material, and a prescribed image is formed on the image-receiving material (recorded).
However, in cases in which the photosensitive material is immersed into the vat storing water as the image-formation solvent and water is applied thereto, water that at one time contacted the photosensitive material is regularly maintained in the vat. As a result, small amounts of organic substances eluted from the photosensitive material function as a source of nutrition for bacteria, bacteria thereby propagate within the vat, and the water becomes contaminated. There is a fear that the contaminated water may cause deterioration in the image forming apparatus itself, as well as in image quality.
Accordingly, the following may be considered: preventing the photosensitive material from contacting the water in the vat or the like used for supply purposes, vibrating a nozzle plate having nozzle holes, and applying small water droplets to the photosensitive material by jetting the water droplets with a jetting device.
However, in the case of a jetting device that jets water droplets onto the photosensitive material that has been conveyed, there is a fear that water may leak out inadvertently from the jetting device. There is also a fear of it becoming impossible to jet the water towards the photosensitive material due to air remaining within the jetting device when the water begins to be charged into the jetting device, which results in the water pressure within the jetting device not reaching a sufficiently high level.
Further, since the clearance between the jetting device and the photosensitive material is minimized in order to apply the water to the photosensitive material evenly, when the photosensitive material becomes jammed at a portion of a transporting path facing the jetting device, removing the jammed photosensitive material from the transporting path is difficult.
The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to obtain an image formation apparatus that prevents an image-formation solvent from leading out inadvertently, enables reliable jetting of the image-formation solvent, and further, allows a photosensitive material that has become jammed in a transporting path to be easily removable.
A first aspect of the present invention comprises: a jetting device which is disposed so as to face a transporting path for an image recording material and which jets an image-forming solvent towards the image recording material, and a position-controlling mechanism which changes a position of the jetting device in correspondence with a state of the jetting device.
A second aspect of the present invention comprises: a jetting device which is disposed so as to face a transporting path for an image recording material and which can jet an image-forming solvent towards the image recording material; an arm which supports the jetting device and which swings to rotate the jetting device; a first gear having teeth arranged along an arc having as a center thereof a swinging center point of the arm; a second gear which is fixed at the jetting device so as to mesh with the first gear, and which changes a position and orientation of the jetting device in conjunction with rotation of the jetting device; and a driving mechanism which swings the arm.
A third aspect of the present invention comprises: a jetting device which is disposed so as to face a transporting path for an image recording material and which can jet an image-forming solvent towards the image recording material; a position-controlling mechanism which changes a position of the jetting device in correspondence with a state of the jetting device; and a sealing- and cleaning-member which seals a jetting surface of the jetting device, which surface jets the image-forming solvent, and which cleans the jetting surface, in a non-jetting state without jetting of the image-forming solvent.
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Operation of an image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention will be explained below.
The jetting device, which is disposed so as to face the transporting path for the image recording material, jets the image-forming solvent towards the image recording material.
Further, the position-controlling mechanism changes the position of the jetting device in accordance with each of the following states: a standby state during the period until the image-forming solvent is jetted onto the image recording material; a charging-start state in which charging of the image-forming solvent into the jetting device is begun; a jetting state in which the image-forming solvent inside the jetting device is jetted toward the image recording material; a cleaning state in which a jetting surface of the jetting device, which surface jets the image-forming solvent, is cleaned, and the like.
Since the position-controlling mechanism can change the position of the jetting device in accordance with each of the states of the jetting device, when the image-forming solvent begins to be charged, the position of the jetting device is changed so as to incline the jetting device, and the air remaining inside the jetting device is removed. Further, by changing the position of the jetting device to a position where a cleaning member is present, for example, a jetting surface of the jetting device can be easily cleaned. As a result, the image-forming solvent can be jetted towards the image recording material reliably whenever necessary.
Further, by changing the position of the jetting device to a position where a cap is present, for example, the image-forming solvent can be prevented from inadvertently spilling or evaporating from the jetting device.
Further, since changing the position of the jetting device has been made possible, the image recording apparatus can be easily removed when becoming jammed during conveyance at a portion of the transporting path facing the jetting device.
Operation of the second aspect according to the present invention will be explained below.
The jetting device, which is disposed so as to face the transporting path for the image recording material, jets the image-forming solvent towards the image recording material.
Further, the jetting device rotates in conjunction with the arm supporting the jetting device being swung by the driving mechanism. At this time, the jetting device is rotated while the first gear, whose teeth are arranged along an arc having the swinging center point of the arm as a center, and the second gear, which is fixed to the jetting device, mesh together, and the jetting device rotates in correspondence with swinging of the arm. The position of the jetting device is thereby changed.
Accordingly, since the position of the jetting device can be changed, not only can the image-forming solvent be jetted towards the image recording material reliably whenever necessary and the image-forming solvent be prevented from inadvertently, but the image recording material can be easily removed when becoming jammed at a portion of the transporting path facing the jetting device, as in the first aspect.
Operation of the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention will be explained below.
The jetting device, which is disposed so as to face the transporting path for the photosensitive material, jets the image-forming solvent towards the image recording material.
Further, the position-controlling mechanism can change the position of the jetting device in the same way as in the first aspect, in accordance with a standby state, a charging-start state, a jetting state, a cleaning state, and the like.
Accordingly, since the position of the jetting device is changed, not only can the image-forming solvent be jetted towards the image recording material reliably whenever necessary and the image-forming solvent be prevented from inadvertently, but the image recording material can be easily removed when becoming jammed at a portion of the transporting path facing the jetting device, as in the first aspect.
Further, when the position of the jetting device is changed from the jetting state, in which the image-forming solvent is jetted towards the image recording material, to a non-jetting state, in which the image-forming solvent is not jetted, the sealing- and cleaning-member seals the jetting surface of the jetting device, which surface jets the image-forming solvent, and can clean the jetting surface.
Accordingly, not only is operation as in the first aspect performed, but since the sealing- and cleaning-member makes possible sealing of the jetting surface of the jetting device, which surface jets the image-receiving material, and cleans the jetting surface, the number of components of the image forming apparatus can be reduced.